2008 Champagne Krug, Brut
Critics reviews
The 2008 Vintage is an infant. Tightly wound and vibrant, the 2008 still needs time. Today, bright acids dominate. I wouldn't dream of touching this anytime soon, as the 2008 remains embryonic, although from time to time, the barest hints of signature Krug notes peek out from the wine's structure. Vibrant saline notes and sculpted fruit are the signatures of a cold, late-ripening year that produced classically austere Champagnes.
Drink 2028 - 2048
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2024)
Pale greenish coppery colour. Intense evolved nose. A certain nuttiness and lots of lime flavour. Masses of acidity still, but real depth too. Light bitterness. Lack of flesh. The structure dominates the filling. Mineral, almost wet cement on the nose! Very dry finish. This one should run and run. Extremely zesty.
Drink 2021 - 2038
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (May 2021)
Since I reviewed the Krug 2008 Brut last year, I have drunk the wine on five or six occasions, but I still struggle to understand it. This bottle, tasted at the cellars in Reims, was among the best I've encountered to date, but between the chiselled muscularity of the Clos du Mesnil and the complexity and plenitude of the 164ème Édition of Grande Cuvée, the vintage itself seems less compelling and complete.
Offering up aromas of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, orange zest, dried white flowers and a discreet hint of buttered toast, it's medium to full-bodied, racy and saline, with a pretty pinpoint mousse and a tightly wound core. Will it unfurl with time to reveal more mid-palate volume and authority, or will it remain a comparatively lean, understated vintage for Krug? As always, time will tell, and given the house's track record, I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see the 2008 take flight with more time on cork.
Drink 2023 - 2043
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (June 2022)
Blend of 53% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier, 22% Chardonnay. Disgorged at the beginning of 2020.
This is very structured and framed with an almost red sensibility. Very phenolic. Full-bodied in a tightly wound ball with so much going on. Very pinot like. Mineral and stone. Shell and stone. Iodine. Vinous. The bubbles just fade into the finish of the wine, which goes on for minutes. Turns to toffee and salted caramel with time in the glass. One for the cellar. Great length.
Drink or hold
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (November 2021)
Just at the beginning of its life, this powerful and structured wine is still a bit restrained, yet even at this stage there are exquisite aromas of ripe pear, marzipan and spice. Although the aromas are still not very expressive, the texture and feel on the palate give the impression of immense potential. There is plenty of extract and thrilling acidity, but always in perfect balance. As Cavil notes: 'This is a wine marked by verticality and intensity'. The wine was disgorged with an extra-brut dosage in the summer of 2020. This will live for 50 years at least.
Drink 2022 - 2080
Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (June 2022)
There’s a profound and coiled energy in the 2008 Champagne Millésime, which pours a youthful medium golden hue and opens in the glass to aromas of crushed oyster shell, golden white peach, preserved lemon, shortbread, and fresh ginger. It is medium to full-bodied, has an electric and powerful concentration, and is packed with preserved Meyer lemon citrus oils, electric tension, and a laser-like mineral texture. Its mousse adds a white pepper spice and a long finish, lasting for ages on the palate. With a strong identity, intense, mouthwatering freshness, and outstanding length, it’s not for the faint of heart, but this will be a wine we’ll be talking about in 30 to 40 years.
Drink 2023 - 2063
Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com (November 2023)
About this WINE
Krug
Krug was established in 1843 and has since specialised in producing only prestige and specialised champagnes. Krug is the only firm still producing all its champagne in small oak casks, an essential element for developing Krug's intense bouquet and complex flavours. Today, Henri, Rémi and Olivier Krug, who supervise every step of production, tasting and blending, represent the 5th and 6th generations.
With long periods of maturation (6-8 years), Krug champagne continues to age gracefully after release, developing an intensely rich, nutty flavour whilst remaining remarkably fresh.
Krug`s finest champagne is Clos du Mesnil, a 100%-Chardonnay based champagne that comes from a small walled vineyard at Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. It is one of the world`s greatest Blanc de Blanc champagnes.
Brut Champagne
Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé.
Non-vintage Champagnes can improve with short-term ageing (typically two to three years), while vintages can develop over much longer periods (five to 30 years). The most exquisite and often top-priced expression of a house’s style is referred to as Prestige Cuvée. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Recommended Producers : Krug, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Salon, Gosset, Pierre Péters, Ruinart
Champagne blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The 2008 Vintage is an infant. Tightly wound and vibrant, the 2008 still needs time. Today, bright acids dominate. I wouldn't dream of touching this anytime soon, as the 2008 remains embryonic, although from time to time, the barest hints of signature Krug notes peek out from the wine's structure. Vibrant saline notes and sculpted fruit are the signatures of a cold, late-ripening year that produced classically austere Champagnes.
Drink 2028 - 2048
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2024)
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